Bedlam
by AlliceTheCollier
Summary: I admired her. I followed wherever she lead. I was an awfully foolish child.
1. Chapter 1

I remember everything so clearly. The weather was gloomy; grey cumulus clouds stretched across the sky for miles. Pegasi darted left and right, making sure everything was ready for the upcoming rainstorm. The trees stood bare, some dotted with merely a few brown or red leaves. Most had fallen to the soft earth, dead as dead could be. I, for one, sat at the very top of one of the garden's trees, examining the territory. Except for the weather ponies, everything was quiet. Peaceful.

Good heavens, it was boring.

Now, anypony who knows me knows that I like a good prank just as much as the next guy, but as much as I loved to wreak havoc, I was smart about it. Well, as smart as I needed to be. One does not attempt a prank of any sort out in the open like this. So, like a good little draconequus, I stayed up in that tree, watching as the world spun by as lazily as ever. And before I knew it, the captain of this particular team of weather ponies gave the command before darting higher above the clouds to avoid the soon-to-be falling droplets. I had been distracted by a surprisingly interesting spider crawling its way around the branches, and I was already soaked by the time I could glide to the ground and search for a hiding spot. Scratch that: I wasn't very smart at all. Or, perhaps not stupid, but very easily distracted. My mind always seems to wander. It's been like this since I was a small child. See? I'm getting off track again.

My eyes darted back and forth, desperately searching for the nearest place to hide. The rain began to come down harder and harder. Everything blurred, and scents became quickly hidden. I growled in frustration and darted off in a random direction. Oh, why did I have to go in _that _direction?

As I ran as best as one could with four mismatched limbs, I looked around for something, anything. A gazebo, a crate, some magical tree that for some reason or other hadn't yet lost its leaves. And at some point in this blind and quite frankly unnecessary panic, I hit a wall. Luckily, this very wall belonged to the castle's kitchen, and next to the kitchen's exit... entrance... both, was a pile of crates. The wooden boards were mostly broken apart and they smelled of onions and rotten vegetables, but it was shelter nonetheless. I squeezed in through the boards (An easy feat, thanks to my thin serpentine figure) and curled up in the dampened bed of mold, veggie mush and dirt. It wouldn't have been so bad if not for the overwhelming stench of garlic and onions.

I watched through the wood as mice ran for their homes to return to their families that lived inside those warm and cozy walls. Here's a neat little fact about draconequi: We are abandoned at birth. It's why there's so few of us. For some reason, most of the time we just can't seem to survive on our own from the moment we are born. Sure, we're blind and deaf for the first few hours, and even if we weren't there's no way of fighting against a hungry predator, but that's really no excuse.

Sarcasm, by the way. I find that most ponies don't seem to understand it.

Anyways, we are abandoned early in our lives, with no memories of our parents, no knowledge of whether or not we have siblings. We are born alone. We don't have families. This didn't get me down, however. Back then, I much preferred to be on my own. Ponies were the least interesting creatures I had ever come across. Always happy and nice and peaceful, frolicking in the flower fields talking about how perfect and great their lives were. Disgusting creatures. But this all changed the moment I saw _her_.

She stepped out of the kitchen's back door, allowing the sweet scent of pastries the seep out before being smothered by the rain. She levitated a black umbrella and bag over her head as she closed the door. Her legs were long and thin, much unlike those stubby things that belonged to most ponies. Her coat was the purest white, and her mane, thick and wavy and the loveliest shade of pink, flowed down to her knees. She, oddly enough, had both wings and a horn. That's the best I can describe it. Odd. She was odd.

Not that that's bad. Odd is good

I liked odd.

She hopped down two short steps and turned, trotting past me. Despite the fresh mud that became of the earth, her hooves became hardly filthy. She moved with such grace and such balance that she barely splashed in the puddles, and she moved so naturally as she did so. Oh, why did I have to run in that direction? Why did I have to hit that wall? Why did I decide to hide in those crates? Why was I so foolish? Why did I feel the need to call out to her?

"Hey!" I had shouted. I didn't even realize my mouth was open until it was too late. She stopped in her tracks and swiveled her head in my direction, looking for me with those gleaming magenta eyes. "Hello?" I froze. What else was I to do? I curled back up in the bed of mold and hid my face behind my paw and talons. I thought, 'Perhaps if I'm really quiet, she'll go away.' I could hear her hooves moving through the mud, coming ever closer. 'Maybe she'll think it was just her imagination.' She levitated the bag over to the crates and set it down over my head. 'Maybe she won't see me.' She knelt down on her front legs and peered inside. Her eyes rolled back and forth until she could finally make out my snake-like shape in the dark. I moved my lion paw just enough to glance at her face. I would never have expected it: She was smiling at me. A soft, warm smile. All my life I had gone mostly unnoticed, and the few who did see me stared in disgust. Draconequi were thought to be cold, heartless creatures. A sickening stereotype, if you ask me. But I had gotten used to it. So to see this creature-this strange pony-standing inches away, smiling at me without a hint of fear or disgust in her eyes... I didn't know what to do. So I hid behind my paw again.

She giggled and allowed the umbrella to float towards the crates, shielding herself and I from the rain. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Her voice was barely a whisper. That hushed voice... it sounded so gentle. It made me feel safe. Carefully, I moved my hands away from my face and looked up to meet her eyes. "There you are." She took the smallest step forward, probably trying not to frighten me. "What are you doing out here, my little friend? You could get sick." I remained silent. "Do you have a name?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. I glanced down at my paw. It had never occurred to me that I didn't have a name. Obviously I had no parent to name me. And no friends. I'm sure the village ponies threw offensive nicknames around for me, but I had never heard any of them. And if I did, I'm positive I wouldn't want to keep any of them. So I shook my head no. "Oh, dear." It was not a look of annoyance or confusion she held, but one of sympathy. "You're all alone, aren't you?" I nodded. She turned and looked up at the sky, taking a moment to admire the dark clouds that rolled by. The clouds would continue to do so until they faded away the next morning. The pony faced me again, the kind smile having returned to her. "We can't have that now, can we?" Grabbing the bag again with her magic and standing back, she cleared away the loose boards, leaving me alone standing underneath the umbrella. "Come along now. We need to get you inside before you catch a cold." She nodded her head to the left, giving the signal for me to follow her. And I did just that. Trotting alongside her, sharing the umbrella, I followed her all the way to the other side of the castle, never taking my eyes off her face.

What a foolish child I was.


	2. Chapter 2

I had followed her up to her room. On the way there I learned that her name was Celestia. Princess Celestia, in fact, daughter of the King of the Sun and Queen of the Moon. I had halted to a stop upon hearing this. A princess! I was in the presence of a princess! To be perfectly honest, I never paid much attention to the way the kingdom worked. I had assumed that princesses only existed in sick and twisted fairy tales read to young children. Yet here one stood, kind and beautiful, almost dreamlike. She assured me that it was "not a big deal", and we continued the walk to her room in silence. Once we walked through the door, she told me to stay there while she grabbed a few things.

She left, closing the door behind her, and I took the time alone to examine her bedroom. Giant shelves lined every wall, countless novels and encyclopedias stacked upon each other. Some looked old and worn out, but most appeared to be brand new, as if no one had even touched them yet. Her bed sat in the middle of the room. A white canopy hung from the ceiling above it, flowing down to the floor. A pile of pillows stacked upon each other were scattered around the otherwise tidy bed. My claws clicked against the hardwood floors as I walked towards the glass window that allowed Celestia a view of the mountains along Equestria's borders, the forests surrounding those mountains, and the village just below the castle. I knocked against the glass. It was thick, and I could assume very difficult to break. There also didn't seem to be a way to open it. No way to escape the castle or the guards that patrolled it. Finally, I decided to admire the walls themselves. They were deep purple with strokes of lavender and blue swirling around them. Quite frankly, they were boring walls. I expected some sort of artwork that rich families would purchase to show off the fact that they were rich, but luckily Celestia's family (Or Celestia, at least) seemed more humble than that.

The door creaked open, Celestia sliding through with two bowls of broth and cups of tea floating behind her. She cantered to the window and sat beside it, calling me over as she did so. I flew towards the window and sat down opposite to her. She passed me the bowl and a cup of tea, and smiled. "It's just some vegetable soup. Carrots, barley and such. But it tastes good, and it feels nice in cold weather like this." Celestia nodded at the tea cups. "Same goes for those." Silently, she sipped away at her soup, gazing out the window as if in deep thought. I, for one, chugged it down in two messy gulps. Meals like this were rare for me. Actually, no. They were less than rare. They didn't exist until now. I'd usually have to steal from market places or go through garbage cans just to find cold scraps. But now, for the first time, I had a warm meal sitting in my usually empty stomach, with some hot tea along with it. I felt like I was in heaven.

Once I had devoured the food, I looked back up to the princess. She still stared out the window thinking. A few minutes passed and at last she faced me. "How does 'Discord' sound?" I perked my ears and tilted my head, confused. The princess levitated an old book from the top of one of the many shelves and allowed it to fall into her hooves. She flipped through the pages, stopped suddenly, and turned it around to show me. At the time, I was unable to read. Everything just looked like the drawings of a de ranged foal. Apparently she noticed my ignorance, and rolled her eyes in amusement. "It's a dictionary I found in an old library I visited when I was little. They let me take it home, and I tried to learn every word in it. Still haven't done so. But anyways, "discord" was my favorite word. It means 'a lack of harmony'. I thought it would fit you, considering your physical appearance. No offense intended." I shrugged. I realized that I was an odd thing; just a hodgepodge of different creatures. I could barely walk or fly thanks to this fact, so it's hard to ignore.

"So? Would you like that for a name?" I considered it for a moment, then grinned and nodded. The princess laughed. "I'm glad I finally have a name for you." 'Discord'. I've always liked the name.

Celestia put her cup of tea down and brought another book off one of the shelves, almost knocking over a pile of scripts as she did so. The novel landed in her lap, and she opened it to a marked page and began to read to herself. She absorbed the information, the story, the characters. She loved it. I watched her for what felt like hours. She became so lost in the novel's world in that short amount of time. It was interesting to watch her. Simple twitches in her face-unnoticeable unless one were to pay attention-were able to show every quiet reaction to the story. It was absolutely fascinating.

You know, come to think of it, it was awfully rude for her to just grab a book and start reading. Maybe I had questions to ask. Maybe I wanted to continue the conversation. I didn't, I was much more interested in watching her read, but she didn't know that! Wow. Can't believe I didn't realize this until now. Again, I didn't mind at the time, but it was still a little rude. I'm getting off track.

She flipped to the next page and, eyes still scanning the letters, she asked genuinely interested, "Where did you come from?"

Nervously, I mumbled, "Everfree."

"Everfree?"

"Mm-hm." It's amazing how quiet I was in my youth compared to how I am now.

"It's not often creatures from there leave."

"It was an accident."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hm. I was looking for food, and I couldn't find my way back."

"I see." She marked the page, closed the book, and set it down on the windowsill. "And you never asked for help to get back?" I shook my head no.

"Most ponies don't like me." Celestia looked back out the window again, biting her lip. The rain was still coming down hard, and thunder could be heard in the distance. A few village ponies could still be seen down below trying to find their way back home. She cleared her throat and turned back. "Would you like to live here?"

"In the castle?" She nodded. I stared blankly.

"My mother is a very generous pony. And my father is very tolerant. If you have nowhere else to go, I don't think they'd mind having you here."

I really don't know what exactly had happened. The world around me had blurred. Me? Stay in a castle? With a royal family that included a beautiful princess? It seemed so surreal. All I really remember is that a few minutes later I was standing next to Celestia in her mother's room, asking permission to stay. I think I had said "yes".

Celestia's mother, Selena, wasn't all too pretty the first time I saw her. Much like Celestia, she had long legs, wings and a horn, but her coat was a light blue, and her eyes, which were a deep crimson, didn't shine quite as brightly as Celestia's. Her long black mane was messy and unclean. She looked absolutely exhausted. And fat. Turns out it wasn't actually fat, but I'll get to that later. The last thing I noticed about her were a dozen yellow star shapes that marked her flank. I had noticed markings like these on other ponies. I didn't know what they were at the time, only that I didn't have one, and neither did Celestia.

Selena's head rested on a small pile of pillows, and though she was tired, she still managed to smile at her daughter and I. "So you really have nowhere else to go, young Discord?"

"Well, there was a lovely crate outside the kitchen... But other than that, no, ma'am." Normally my humor only managed to anger those around me, and by those around me, I mean the birds that would always wake me up in the morning with their terrible singing. But to my surprise, the queen laughed. It was weak and quiet, but it was honest. At last, somepony who acknowledged the fact that I'm hilarious.

"I personally see no problem with it. Heaven knows we have dozens of extra rooms in this palace. I only hope that Icarus will feel the same."

"How is father doing?" Celestia inquired. "He hasn't spoken to me in days."

Selena shook her head. "He's been so busy lately. All these new villages being built around Equestria, new species being discovered... Every time he's come home he's fallen right back to sleep." She leaned in and kissed her daughter's forehead. "He loves you very much, dear. He simply has a lot on his plate right now. I'm sure things will calm down again soon." She brought her attention back to me. "This is probably quite boring for you, though. So, as I was saying, you can live here. Plenty of the rooms in this castle have served as storage space, but I'll send some servants to clean one out for you. For tonight, Tia? Would you mind sharing a bed with him?" Celestia shook her head.

"Not at all."

"Discord? Do you mind?" Of course I didn't. Selena sighed and nodded. "Good. Now, please excuse me. I need to get some more sleep." Celestia bowed to her mother, thanked her, and lead me out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

She wrapped a silk robe around herself and crawled into bed as a book floated down from one of the shelves. As for myself, I was already curled up at the foot of the bed, nuzzling into what were without a doubt the world's softest pillows and covering myself in the thick purple and gold blankets. Celestia watched with an amused smirk on her face. Clearly she was completely oblivious to the fact that her bed was the most comfortable thing in the known universe. "I take it you've never slept in an actual bed before?" she asked with a chuckle as she began to flip through the pages of her book.

"Nuh-uh! It's magical!"

"Actually, it's a mattress, but it is awfully comfortable." At last, after twisting and turning and purring in delight, I fell over on my side with a contented chuff and curled my tail around my feet in preparation for what I hoped would be a deep sleep. But before my eyes could even close and my legs could go limp, I felt the princess's hoof touch my shoulder. I rolled over and looked up to her. "I have this book here that tells all about the animals that live in the Everfree Forest. I was hoping to learn some more about your species. You're a draconequus, if I'm not mistaken. And it says here that draconequi are capable of some of the most powerful magic known to Equestria." She gently closed the book and looked me straight in the eye. "Do you know how to use it properly?" I shook my head no. Quite frankly, I didn't even know I was capable of using magic of any sort. Certainly would've been good to know earlier in life. If I could have learned a few spells to maybe change the weather from freezing cold to warm or to maybe create food out of nothing so that I wouldn't have to live off of moldy scraps. Ha. As if.

Celestia grabbed another book off the shelf and had it fall onto the bed. She lifted it back up and turned it towards me. I couldn't understand the writing, but I could see the illustration of an old bearded unicorn in a robe and hat just fine. "That's Starswirl the Bearded. He was one of the most powerful unicorns in existence. He invented countless spells that many of us use to this day." She turned the front of the book back to herself and admired the illustration. "He was amazing." To be honest, her pointless rambling was a bit boring, but I happen to be a very polite being, so I allowed her to keep talking.

"Anyway..." She set the book back down on the bed. "He wrote a heap of books before he passed away. He's taught basic levitation, merging, teleportation. He's also taught weather control and shape-shifting, but that's only for really advanced unicorns." She smiled. "My father teaches me magic whenever he's here and not, well, asleep. How about during my next lesson, you can tag along and learn something, too?"

It was an offer I couldn't refuse. Not too sure exactly _why _I couldn't refuse it. Guess it was just some tiny voice in my head that said, "Dude, you should totally accept the offer." Obviously it's the only explanation. She told me that the next lesson was scheduled the following week. "I was supposed to have one today, but other things came up." The books flew back to their respective shelves, and Celestia rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "So, next week then."

"Next week." I confirmed.

I decided to roll onto my back as well and lay beside her. We stared at the top of the canopy in complete silence for a quite some time. Time passed, and finally, I spoke up. "Princess Celestia?"

"'Tia' is just fine."

"Tia..." I felt like I had been granted the highest of honors. "Tia, is your mother ill?"

"What?"

"She didn't look too good. Tired... Big."

Celestia immediately fell into a fit of laughter. I could only raise an eyebrow in confusion. The princess took several deep breaths and did her best to hide the smirk on her face. "You're rather ignorant. It's adorable." 'Adorable' is a word I never would have thought would ever describe me. But apparently she thought it worked. "No, she's not sick. She's going to have a baby in a few days. It's taken a lot of energy out of her." She laughed. "My nannies say it's going to be a colt, but I'm still thinking it's a filly."

"How would you know?"

"I can sense it. It's a filly."

"Sense it?"

"I just know."

Tia used to be so strange. I loved it about her.

For another hour, we just laid there talking. We talked about our foalhoods, Canterlot, Everfree, Starswirl. Hell, we even spent a ludicrous amount of time staring at the sky out the window. Even through the black clouds, the rain and the lighting, a crescent moon still shone brightly. Celestia explained to me that her mother controlled the moon, and her father the sun (though her father had taken control of both to allow his wife some rest the last few days.) She said that someday she'd be taught how to control them both so that she may rule the kingdom.

"All alone?"

"Well, hopefully my new brother or probably-sister will be able to rule with me, but there's no guarantee they'll have the capability. Not all alicorns are as powerful as my mother and father."

"But you are?"

"I have the potential." She really was something.

Soon, a servant opened the door to wish the princess a goodnight, and to flash a glare at me. Word travels fast. Celestia blew out the few candles that had illuminated the room. She then crawled under the blanket and rested her head on a pillow.

"Goodnight, Discord."

"Goodnight, Tia."

For a few moments, I sat there on the bed. There were no thoughts running through my usually busy mind. The lightning flashed outside, making her white coat appear luminous. Her eyes were shut tight. She looked so relaxed, so peaceful. Normally I wasn't one for peace, but it looked so beautiful here. At first I hesitated, but soon I was resting my head in the crook of her neck, my tail curled around her. The room may have been dark, but I swear I saw her lips curve into a content smile.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I awoke to find myself lying alone in a cold bed. My vision was blurred for a minute, but eventually, after enough blinking and squinting, I could make out the shape of a certain alicorn sitting at the window. She held a piece of parchment and quill and was busily writing an unknown document. I yawned and rolled out of bed, falling onto the hard, freezing floor with an annoyed moan. Celestia's head swiveled to face me. "Are you alright?" Only another moan escaped my clenched teeth. "Hopefully that's a 'yes'." She set down the quill and parchment and trotted towards me. She gave my shoulder a gentle nudge, encouraging me to stand on my feet. Weak and trembling, I pushed myself up and yawned again. "Do you normally take this long to wake up?" Tia asked with a smirk.

"It usually takes a lot longer."

She laughed. "Well, come here. I have a few lessons for you." She walked back to the window.

"Lessons?"

"I notice you can't read. And if you're going to live here, learn about magic, possibly go to a few parties, et cetera, we're going to need to change that."

"Parties?" She nodded. "I didn't realize royals had parties."

"Not the fun kind, mind you. Especially not the Grand Galloping Gala." She rolled her eyes. "Most boring thing in Equestria. It's just a bunch of rich ponies dressing up all fancy and bragging about how successful they are. And I have to go every year and sit in the same chair at the same table and just look pretty. It's torture."

"Sounds like it." A chill ran down my spine. "I for one can't stand boredom. It makes me go insane. Have you ever tried pranking anyone there or dancing or something?"

"You kidding? My father would kill me. He says it isn't 'ladylike'. What a load of horse apples." A princess who cursed. I liked her even more. "Know what else? I have to talk weird to all of our guests. 'Welcome, fair subjects. 'Tis an honor to meet thou. Thy dress looks lovely. Blah, blah blah.'"

"You didn't talk to me that way."

"No, I didn't. And it's because it makes me feel fake." She shook her head. "Anyways, today's lesson." She opened the parchment and held it against the window. "These are the lowercase letters of the alphabet. And these..." She grabbed another piece of parchment and held it up. "...Are the uppercase letters. Today, I am going to teach you these letters and the sounds they make."

Actually, that day I learned that Equestrian is an extremely difficult language. She made it sound so easy at first. Only twenty-six letters in the alphabet. Each makes different sounds. There are vowels and consonants. Okay. Easy enough. Heavens, I was wrong. Learning the letters was pretty easy, thanks to the song that went with learning them. But each letter made two or three different sounds, depending on whether they were lowercase or uppercase, and if you put just two together, there could be endless possibilities. "Ph", for example, made a "f" sound most of the time. Some letters are silent, like "p" in "pneumonia". Basically, the letter just has no right being there in the first place if it isn't even going to make a sound. It's just making itself look like the third wheel or something. It was all a load of pony feathers. By the lesson's end around three or four in the afternoon, I was still barely able to understand a single word. Celestia explained that it would take a lot of time and that slow learning is nothing to be ashamed of. Also a load of pony feathers.

Celestia put the books she had brought down for the lesson and the parchments on a shelf. She then trotted over to the side of her bed, knelt down and searched underneath it. After a few moments, she pulled out a small box and two pairs of golden slippers. She opened the box to reveal a gold necklace with a gleaming amethyst in its center and a silver tiara. "Now, I have some business to attend to." she said, slipping the shoes onto her hooves and adjusting the necklace that wrapped nicely around her neck.

"Of what sort?"

She placed the tiara atop her head. "Royal duties. Mainly meeting with my mother's friends and business partners and leading them to her room to discuss whatever it is they discuss. There's always someone coming in around this time to have lunch or dinner with her. Since she's bedridden, I have to be the one to welcome them instead of just standing behind my mother and father waiting to be noticed." She laughed. "Really. You'd think as future ruler I'd have more important things to do." The slippers clicked quietly against the wooden floor as she walked towards the door. "Stay in here until I return. I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Stay here? But what will I do?"

"There's plenty of ink and paper. You could practice writing, or you could draw something. I have some picture books, too, so you could look at those. Let's see..." She looked around her room, only to end up shrugging. "Just look around; you'll find something. I need to go. I'll be back." She opened the door, walked out, and was gone before I could say another word. I stared up at the ceiling, wondering what to do. As I had said earlier, I couldn't stand boredom. I still can't.

I sat in that same spot just staring for a few minutes. Before long, a tingling began to scratch at the back of my brain. It spread through my ears and down my spine. My paws clapped against my ears as I fell down to push my forehead into the ground, teeth clenched. For some reason, whenever I sat for too long doing nothing, unless I had been sleeping, this happened. Later in my life, I realized it was the aching urge to do _something_. Anything. As long as I was awake, I couldn't sit still. And with nothing to do, and not wanting to anger the princess with a prank, I crawled back into bed and waited for the tingling to go away as I slipped into sleep.

I awoke three hours later to the sound of a loud crash. My head jumped from the pillow and I looked around frantically until I saw a young bright red bird growling underneath a pile of books. "Philomena! Are you alright, sweet girl?" Celestia came galloping from the window where she appeared to have been studying. She approached the shelves and shoved the books carelessly away from her bird and scooped "Philomena" up in her arms, hugging her and kissing the top of her feathered head. "Poor baby girl..."

The strange red bird nuzzled her owner's shoulder, a soft purr emanating from her throat. Weird. "What is that thing?" I asked, lifting my head from the pillow and perking my ears.

"Oh dear, that woke you up didn't it? I'm sorry." The bird escaped from her arms and flapped her wings, landing carefully atop Celestia's head. Philomena's chest puffed out. She looked awfully proud. "This is Philomena, my pet phoenix."

"A phoenix!?" And here I thought they were illegal to keep as pets. Something about a fire hazard.

"Yes. My father brought her back for me after a trip to Smokey Mountain. He said he found her all alone on the forest floor. Her parents and siblings were gone, most likely killed or chased off by dragons. I didn't have any friends at the time, so father gave her to me." The phoenix gave her a loving peck on the cheek. "Her name means 'friend of strength'. I thought it was fitting." By this time, I was sitting on the floor at a safe distance away from them both. Now that I had a closer look, the bird's feathers had a slight orange glow to them, like a flame. Yes, this was indeed a phoenix. And a fine specimen of one, at that. I'd be sure to stay away from her.

Philomena's yellow eyes blinked, and she seemed to be glaring at me. "She's a bit wary of strangers, so do be careful." Celestia warned. "Philly, go say hi to Discord. He won't bite." The phoenix answered her owner with a squawk. "I know, but he's safe. Go say hi." The bird looked back at me and stared for only a moment before snapping her head back up and puffing her chest in the proud posture she wore before and flew to the other side of the room, landing on the windowsill. As she flew, flames slipped off the tips of her wings' primary feathers, the embers floating gracefully to the ground before going out. No wonder phoenixes were considered a hazard.

"She's quite a sight, isn't she?" Tia stated with a chuckle.

"Quite."

After that, we had a short discussion about Philomena. I learned that she would normally stay in the top of the dungeon, which was almost always empty anyways. She'd catch rats and cockroaches and other pests to keep the place clean. Selena would always make Tia keep the bird up there for safety reasons, but every now and again she'd sneak Philomena down to her room for the night. "The dungeons get cold, even for a bird of fire." she had said.

Tia tied the silk robe from the night before around herself and joined me in bed. She carried a book off a shelf and brought it down. "Philly, come here!" She waved the book in the air. "'Canterlot Tales'! Your favorite!" The bird swiveled its head in my direction, hissed, then clicked her beak closed again. "Aw, don't be so mean. Come, you can cuddle up to me if you want." Philly hesitated, but, with a roll of her eyes and a few flaps of her wings, she was soon underneath the bedsheets, curled up next to Tia with her head resting against her owner's chest. And I swear, I saw the slightest smirk on that bird's face as she glared at me. I was already jealous enough; she didn't have to rub it in.

"I wanted to read you a chapter from this book." the princess said. She opened to a chapter titled: "The Pardoner's Tale". I, for one had never heard of it. "My mother read this to me when I was very young. Scared the feathers off me back then. Did the same to little Philly here, too." Philomena groaned. "Anyway, it's still a favorite of mine. And I want to read it to you." I shrugged and curled up under the warmth of the blankets. When I was comfortable, I waved my hand, signaling her to begin. Tia cleared her throat.

"Once upon a time in Canterlot, there were three friends. Every night, they'd leave their homes to drink and feast and attend the most repugnant of parties. Many of the village ponies would say, 'Those three would put even the Chaos King's work to shame.'"

"Wait, wait, wait. Chaos King?"

"In old mythology, written long before Equestria was founded, there was a spirit known as the Chaos King. He brought disorder and unhappiness to ponies everywhere, and he'd punish those who opposed him horribly. But in the legends, it says that he was defeated by two noble sisters, one of light and one of darkness, and they turned the king into mud. There has been peace ever since. Even now, mothers sometimes tell their foals that if they don't behave, they'll trigger the return of the Chaos King. It's silly, really." I nodded, and allowed her to continue the story. In it, the three stallions, who did nothing but sin, wanted to find and kill the spirit known as Death who, if you couldn't tell, was said to bring death to everypony. They were told by some old guy that they could find Death in a forest, and like idiots they ran in. There, they found more bits than they could ever dream of. They decide to stay there for the night, and if no one comes to collect the bits, they'd take it for themselves. So one of them says for one guy to go back to town to get everypony some drinks for the night, and while he's gone, we learn that the two left in the forest plan to kill him when he returns so that they could each be richer. Some friends, huh? But while the colt is in town getting drinks, he also poisons the alcohol so that he could take all the money for himself. He goes back to the forest, his so-called "friends" murder him, they drink the poison cider to celebrate, and then die.

The moral of the story is that if you go looking for Death, you'll find him.

Remember earlier when I had said that fairy tales were sick and twisted? This is exactly what I meant. Oh, let's tell our little foal about murder! This won't scar them for their lives! I mean, hey, teach your foals whatever you want, none of my business. But does one really have to do it in such a terrible way? Sure, they should be exposed to the fact that the world can be a dark place (though not really so much in Equestria), but heavens! Murder? As I am telling you this, I am 2000 years old, give or take, and never in my life have I _ever _committed murder. Even _I _think that's extreme.

Where was I going with this, you may ask? Nowhere, really. Just wanted to get that out of my system.

"So, what did you think?" Celestia said as she closed the book and gave her now-fast-asleep-phoenix a soft kiss on the cheek.

"It was... interesting."

"Dark?"

"Yes."

"I agree. To be honest, it's kind of why I love it so much. All the daughters of my parents' friends only like romance novels. Don't get me wrong, I like a good romance every now and then. But I don't understand how one can read a book with a happy ending all the time, especially when you know it's going to be happy. It seems so boring to me, so bland." Canterlot Tales floated back up to its shelf, and Tia got up to blow out the candles that had lit the room. She hopped back up on the bed, pulling the covers over her shoulders and curling up around her bird. I laid on the other side of the bed, but even I could feel the warmth of the phoenix. The soft orange glow illuminated Celestia's white face, and I could see her magenta eyes staring at me, and the smile that came with it. "Goodnight, Discord."

"Goodnight, Tia." Though I was careful not to awaken Philomena, I pushed myself closer to the bird, and closer to the princess. One of the perks of having a snake-like body such as mine was getting to keep my body away from a certain bird of fire, lowering the chances of awakening her, but still getting to rest my head on the same pillow of Tia. Our foreheads touched and our eyes closed.

I cannot properly articulate how happy I was at that very moment.


	5. Chapter 5

The next six days went on exactly as that one did. I'd wake up, Celestia would teach me how to read (and by this point I still could only understand a few simple words like "the" and "at"), then she'd go do princess stuff before coming back, usually, with as much food as we could eat. And let me tell you something: This palace? They had some of the best food I had ever tasted. I remember one night Tia brought up oat scones that were absolutely fantastic. And I swear, the apple pies and chocolate cakes they'd make in that kitchen... Oh, it was amazing. But I'm getting off topic.

One morning, I woke up fairly late. I turned to the window expecting to see Celestia sitting there planning the next lesson, but there was nothing. No parchment, no ink, no books, and certainly no alicorn. I jumped out of bed and began pacing the room, calling for her. It was too early in the morning for her to have left already. To be honest, I wasn't sure why I was so worried about her being gone. She was a princess. She had a job, and sometimes there were emergencies. Even I knew that. But still I worried.

I spent a good five minutes pacing the room, wondering where she had gone, where I could find her. Suddenly, I stopped, and stood before the door. I noticed I hadn't left the room since I'd arrived here. As I thought about it, I realized I had been too scared to leave. I wanted to resist the judgmental eyes of the ponies who worked in the castle as much as I could. The few ponies who would come into the room to remind us of our bedtime would always glare at me. Possibly because, despite my room being ready for me, I still chose to sleep in Tia's room with her. Not sure why that was such a problem though. Tia was fine with it. Her mother didn't seem to care. I certainly didn't mind. What was the issue? Nevertheless, I was hated by the servants, and I knew it, and I wanted to avoid it. But now?

I grabbed the doorknob. Turned it. The door creaked slowly open and...

Silence.

Usually, whenever I would peek out the door when Celestia left, there would be quite a few ponies walking through the halls, cleaning the floors or finding a place to clean, carrying food to the queen or other servants, or even just strolling by waiting to be given their next job. There were more servants there than I could count. Maybe because I really couldn't count too high at the time. Irrelevant.

I took a step out and looked back and forth. Emptiness. Walking awkwardly on my mismatched feet, I crept through the silent halls, waiting for any sign of life. I had heard of many ponies liking peace and quiet like this. But me? Drove me nuts. Not quite as badly as being bored or sitting still, but I definitely liked knowing that I wasn't the last living creature on earth. I've always found the quiet to be so eerie.

I continued stepping through the halls until I found life at last, and it came in the form of a beautiful snow-white princess with a long pink mane. Celestia was sitting just outside Selena's bedroom with a huge toothy grin and gleaming eyes. Her front hooves clicked the marble floors gently as she shook with excitement. Finally, I approached her.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"What are you doing awake this early? And out of the room?" She suddenly looked so confused. Not unhappy necessarily. Just confused.

"Everypony was gone. I got worried."

Celestia giggled. "Most of the servants are at home for the day. They were given a break. But a few nurses and my dad are in there." Celestia lifted a hoof and pointed at the door of her mother's room, then allowed her grin to return to her face. "My sister's being born!"

"So it _is _a filly?"

"Probably." I rolled my eyes and smiled, then took a seat next to her. She still shook with excitement. What word described her? Adorable, I believe it was? Yes. Adorable. I thought she looked adorable.

I decided to break the silence. "Your father is in there, you said?"

"Yes. He came very late last night. He was right on time."

"His name was... Icarus, right?"

"Yes. King Icarus the second."

"Am I going to have to meet him?"

"Well, yes, if you're going to keep living here. And you will have to address him as 'your majesty' or 'your grace', by the way. He doesn't really like to feel disrespected." In other words, he was a prideful jerk.

We sat there for the next ten minutes in silence, save for the very quiet squeals of joy and excitement that would occasionally escape her smile. And when the door finally opened and one of the nurses stepped out, Celestia was instantly on her feet, jumping up and down. The nurse, however, didn't look even partially excited. She looked downright grim. Tia didn't appear to notice this. "Is it a boy or a girl? What does she look like? Have they decided what her name is yet?" The nurse glanced towards me, then looked back at Tia.

"May I speak to you in private, dearie?"

"Why?" Tia finally stood still. The smile slowly faded. "What is it?" The nurse tilted her head and walked in the other direction, the princess following. Once they were out of earshot, the nurse turned to her, and lifted a hoof to her shoulder. Tia looked confused, and scared. I saw the nurse's lips move, though I couldn't quite make out what she was saying. All I know is that the sparkle in Tia's eyes began to disappear. Her lip trembled. Her ears pinned themselves against her head. She took a few steps back, out of the nurse's reach. Her legs were shaking, and she looked as if she were about to fall. The nurse stopped talking, and she gave Celestia a look of sympathy. Tia only stared down at the tiles beneath her hooves. There was no expression on her face.

She lifted her head and stared at the door. Quivering, she stepped slowly towards it. She looked so weak, so fragile, as if she were about to break. I'd never seen her in such a state. Granted, I hadn't been there long, but she always seemed so happy and full of life. Here... There was no light in her eyes, and her colors seemed to have dulled. This wasn't her. I knew it wasn't. Yet instead of trying to do anything, I just sat against that wall, watching as she and the nurse stepped back into the room. I waited a moment and then peeked in through the crack in the door. I couldn't see much: only a white alicorn pressing her face into a limp blue hoof, tears streaming endlessly down her face as her chest heaved up and down between heavy sobs.

And at last it hit me.

I tried to walk through the door, towards her, all other thoughts having left my brain. But a white hoof and a burst of flames slammed down in front of me. My eyes slowly moved up, and I saw what was without a doubt King Icarus. His legs, like all alicorns it seemed, were long, but they were far more muscular. His coat was white like Celestia's, but around his bright orange hooves small flames flickered. His mane was short and red with yellow and orange streaks here and there. His eyes were a piercing blue, and the mark on his flank appeared to be in the shape of a spark. But his size nor flaming coat nor piercing eyes were very intimidating... Well, they were, but not that much. What really had me frozen in fear was the golden armor that draped his body. Thick and gleaming and barely scratched but clearly old; he looked absolutely terrifying. And he glared down at me. Clearly he knew I was staying here, otherwise he would've killed me on the spot. Instead, he shoved me back towards the door, and one of the nurses stepped in to take me to my room.

I had tried asking her on the way there what exactly had happened to Selena, but I was only met with a hate-filled glare, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. A few minutes later, she opened the door to my room, and walked off. I peered inside. There was barely any effort made to clean the place up. It looked as if a few boxes and pieces of old furniture had been shoved out of the way, but other than that it was still just a big room filled with a bunch of junk, dust and cobwebs with a few windows on the other side. Don't get me wrong, I liked clutter and disorder like this, but still you'd think there would have been more of an effort.

I walked in and shut the door behind me before taking a seat on a dusty trunk.

'So...' I thought. 'The queen is dead. Tia's mother is dead.' I had only spoken to her that first night I came here, but she seemed so nice, and probably the only pony here other than Tia who didn't hate my guts despite barely knowing me. I'm still not sure whether I had the right to be, but I felt saddened. For the queen. For the king. Especially for Tia. She really did look like she was about to break. As a draconequus, I never had a family, so I didn't really know what it was like. But the look on her face...

I began to feel that tingling in the back of my skull again. I shook my head, spread my wings and glided around what little empty space there was on the floor in a poor attempt to clear my head. Eventually I landed on top of a small pile of boxes, one of which was open, showing a few books and knick-knacks inside. I stepped off the pile and picked up one of the books, shaking the dust carefully off of it. I still was unable to read what the title was, but on the cover was an illustration of three ponies, one a unicorn and the other a pegasus, and a twisted, deformed alicorn roaring over the two of them. I opened it, and though I couldn't really read the story, through the paintings and sketches I realized it was the story of the Chaos King that the princess had told me about.

From what I understood, the king was once a kind and fair ruler of his country. However, he was a terribly lonely king, with no wife or children. But one day, a beautiful unicorn caught his eye. He had asked her to marry him, but she refused, for she saw darkness in his heart. The king went insane, and took his anger out on his people. He threw the land into utter chaos. Giant storms swept through the land. The crops died. Plagues hit every town and forest. Whenever somepony would come to him about it, he'd throw them into a swamp where a hydra swam. The beautiful unicorn and her sister, the pegasus, stepped forward one day, carrying six gems with them. With the power of these gems, they turned the king to mud, and brought peace to the land.

By the time I had finished sort-of-kind-of reading the story, the sun was beginning to set. I closed the book and set it back in its box, and made my way to the door. I wanted to check on Tia, to make sure she was alright.

The halls were still empty, so getting through them unnoticed was a breeze. I approached Tia's door and knocked quietly. "Tia? Are you in there?"

Nothing.

"May I come in?"

A quiet mumble.

"Tia?"

"Yeah." Her voice was soft and tired. I carefully opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind me. Tia was on her bed, underneath a heap of blankets, her head resting on several of her pillows. I hopped onto the bed, pulled some of the blanket over me and curled up beside her. She didn't move, didn't look at me. She just stared into nothing. "I named her Luna."

"What?"

"I was allowed to name my sister. I named her Luna. She looks a lot like mother."

I laid my head on her shoulder, and a moment later I could feel her gently shaking, and I could hear a soft sob leave her lips. A few more tears fell down her face and onto her pillow. I didn't know what else to do, really, so I nuzzled her cheek and spread my pegasus wing to wrap it around her in a strange hug. Alright, I'll admit it. It felt weird to try and comfort her like this, when I barely knew her. And not the good kind of weird, either. It was the kind of weird that made me feel vaguely uncomfortable. But those feelings left when she started to curl up into a ball, her nose pressing against my chest and one of her wings wrapping around me, trying to hug me back. I froze for an instant, but soon I relaxed and coiled around her. We just stayed like that for the longest time.


	6. Chapter 6

I was never told what exactly had happened to the queen. None of the servants would even acknowledge my existence and it was too touchy a subject to ask the princess.

The king left the day after she died. I saw him walking down the halls once. He had no emotion in his eyes, no expression on his face. I suppose that as the king it's required that he keep this calm energy around him.

Selena's funeral took place in the garden at night two days after her death. After that night, Tia had asked me to leave her alone for a while so that she could deal with it herself. I understood, and I've been staying in my room ever since, watching the world from my windows, looking through boxes, and eating the bland oatmeal that was sent up to me every morning and evening. On this day, I sat high on top of a shelf, watching the garden through one of the cracked windows. The moon was beginning to rise over the surprisingly large crowd of ponies that stood around her casket. As the moon took it's place at the highest point in the sky, I could see each and every pony in the crowd light something, and before I knew it, lanterns filled the air. They flickered and floated and flew off to who knows where. And once they were out of sight, with only the moon to bring light to the garden, a few candles were lit and set up around the queen's closed casket, and the crowd broke up and returned to the palace.

I could hear the crowd on the floor above me, talking, some crying, others laughing as they reminisced. It went on like that for maybe three hours, and finally, they began to leave, one by one, until the floors above me no longer creaked and calm filled the castle once more.

For the first few nights after her birth, I didn't see Princess Luna. But I could hear her. I could most definitely hear her. They set her room up right next to mine, and every night for four days I'd wake up to her screaming and crying. Whether is was her needing to be changed, wanting to be fed, waking up from a nightmare, or just screaming because she wanted to scream, I didn't really know. But what I did know is that I didn't want children. Ever. I don't care how much mischief they cause. I like sleep. And children apparently don't allow that.

On that night, a day after the funeral and three days after the queen's death and the last time I had seen or spoken to Celestia, Luna woke up crying again in the other room. I pulled the thin sheet I wished were a proper blanket over my head and growled. I waited patiently for one of the nurses or servants to come running into Luna's room to calm her down. Before long I heard hooves scurrying down the hall towards the baby's room, and the door next to me opened and closed as the pony walked up to the cradle, shushing and letting Luna know, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here."

My ears shot up. That wasn't the voice of one of any of the nurses or servants. It was Tia's.

I listened as Tia tried to calm her sister. "Everything's all right, I'm here." Luna still cried. "Nopony's going to hurt you. I'm here." Luna's cries softened, though distressed whimpers could still be heard. And Tia began to sing. "Little baby, hear my voice/I'm beside you, oh maiden fair/Our young lady, grow and see/Your land, your own beautiful land/Sun and moon, guide us/To the hour of our glory and honor/Little baby, our young lady/Noble maiden fair."

Her voice was soft, and obviously untrained. It cracked every few words, and it sounded so off-key. You know what? I'll just come out and say it: She was a terrible singer. But still, perhaps it was the honesty in her voice that was so soothing. Luna's cries ceased. Tia hummed another verse, and then there was nothing. Soon, I heard Luna's door slowly creak open, and gently close shut as Tia tip-toed past my room.

I ran to my door and opened it, much to her surprise. She jumped and spun around, then let out a sigh of relief. "Scared easily, are we?" I chuckled.

"Excuse me if I wasn't expecting a door to just swing wide open like that in the middle of the night!" she whispered with a laugh and a grin.

"You exaggerate, my dear. It didn't swing wide open. It opened. You're just jumpy."

"Well, I'm not supposed to leave my room this late at night."

"Why not? Aren't you the princess?"

"Yes, but there are rules. You know there are. I can't just do whatever I want all the time." She glanced up at me. "And you're not supposed to be up, either."

"Yes, well, there was this baby, and a lot of screaming..."

"Oh." She shuffled her hooves, embarrassed. "My apologies. You're usually such a deep sleeper. I didn't think she would wake you." I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey..." A sincere smile reappeared on her face. "The Grand Galloping Gala is next month. Would you like to go?"

I looked down to myself, staring at my deer hoof and lizard foot and snake tail and so on and so forth before turning back to Tia with an eyebrow raised. "The servants can barely stand me. Do you really think a bunch of namby-pamby rich ponies will? No offense."

"None taken. They _are _namby-pamby. But I was going to take Luna down to the village to commission a dress for her. I'm sure we could get something for you, too."

"You want to get me a dress? Because, I'll be honest, that doesn't sound too pleasant."

She laughed. "No, no, no. A dress for Luna and myself, and a suit for you. As long as the guests can tell that you're living here, they won't dare be rude." I tilted my head.

"And you're sure about this?"

"Positive."

I smiled. "Why the hay not, then? I'm curious to see what a pony party is like."

"This one in particular is quite boring, as I've said before. But with you here, and a little baby alicorn as well..." A mischievous giggle escaped her mouth. "I'm sure we'll be able to liven the place up a bit." I waited a moment for her excited giggles to stop, and then I stared right at her.

"Tia... Have you been alright these last few days?" Her head tilted. "I mean, you seem fine now, but you certainly weren't a couple of days ago" She stared down at her hooves. "You don't need to answer me if you don't want to, it's just-"

"No, no, I've been fine. I just needed to accept it, is all. She's gone. There's nothing I can do about it. And she was always such a strong pony. Almost nothing phased her. She wouldn't want me to dwell on this for long. I have a job as future queen of Equestria, and it does not require me to constantly cry over something inevitable such as death. I need to set an example, to be strong and fair and patient, for my subjects and for my sister. I loved... I love my mother. Very much. And I miss her more than anypony can believe. But as I said, there is nothing I can do to bring her back. And I've accepted that." She paused. "Sorry, I really didn't mean to go off like that..."  
"It's alright." I took a step closer to her and nuzzled her cheek, and she returned the gesture. She breathed a heavy sigh as she tried not to sob. The princess cleared her throat, took a few steps back and smiled.

"I should return to my room. And so should you. We have some shopping to do in the morning." I nodded. We wished each other a goodnight. Then we returned to our rooms, and fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke to somepony shaking my shoulder, encouraging me to get up. As my vision cleared, I found that this pony was Celestia wearing the same golden slippers and necklace and silver tiara she'd always wear out, but this time a rosy pink dress wrapped itself around her chest and flowed down from her shoulders like a cape. Apparently, along with the silk saddlebags that sat on her back, this is the stuff she was required to wear into town in order to keep up the whole "royal image" thing.

I followed her through the halls of the castle and I listened to her as I tried to ignore the stares and glances that just about everypony gave me. She explained that I would go with her and Luna to one of her favorite restaurants for breakfast, then we'd all go to commission a pony called "Masquerade" for Gala outfits, and then we'd head to the town library so that Tia could pick up and drop off a few books, and we'd be back home in time for lunch and another reading lesson.

Two guards opened a large door for us, and I stared in disbelief at what lay outside. Gleaming in the sunlight was a white and gold carriage with four pegasus guards lined up and ready to fly it. I could see a nurse standing next to the carriage, making sure that Celestia's baby sister was safely buckled inside. Another guard appeared and opened the door, bowing to the princess. I followed Celestia into the carriage, and the guard closed the door behind me. Celestia thanked him, and before I knew it the pegasus ponies were airborne, carrying us seemingly without effort. Thanks to my short, differing wings, I couldn't fly all to well. I could glide a few feet off the ground for a short period of time, and I can fly down from high places, but actual flight like this was pretty much impossible. I watched as the ponies and building down below became smaller and smaller. Clouds flew right past us as the pegasi climbed higher, until finally they started to spiral downwards carefully, flying circles around the mountain where Canterlot was built.

The delighted screams of a certain baby snapped me out of my trance, and I realized I still hadn't seen Luna.

I turned my head. Celestia was smiling at her baby sister, who sat buckled in next to her, waving her hooves happily in the air. Her coat was a vivid cerulean blue, with a sky-blue mane waving wildly in the wind, and her turquoise eyes sparkling brightly. She was a sweet little thing. Never would have thought something like her could make such obnoxious sounds every night.

Luna didn't wear a dress, but she did wear a silver tiara like her sister, and silver slippers and a black necklace with a glistening blue sapphire. Tia reached over and hugged her sister with one hoof and pointed to the village far down with the other. "That's where we're going!" she shouted over the roar of the wind. The filly giggled joyously.

We flew further and further down until we felt the wheels of the carriage hit the dirt. Busy ponies all around us stopped and stared at the golden cart and pegasus ponies covered head to hoof in armor. Celestia's horn lit up, and the two doors opened. I jumped out of my side and waited for Tia to unbuckle her sister and carry her out. A white glow surrounded Luna, and she laughed in delight as she floated around her sister, encased in her magic. Celestia closed the doors and walked around to my side. She set her sister down on her back and spread her wings a bit to keep the filly balanced. She trotted up to the pegasi and bowed her head. "We thank thee, kind sirs."

"Do you need any of us to accompany you, your highness?" one of them asked.

"That shan't be necessary. We shall meet thee here this afternoon." The guards all nodded simultaneously, and with that, the day _really _began.

We trotted along the sidewalk, passing by a countless amount of ponies. Most of them would stop and bow to the princesses, and Tia would nod politely in return. However, others would stop just to look at me, confusion and a hint of fear in their eyes. Back then, I honestly didn't know why ponies hated draconequi so much. But, as always, I tried ignored it.

When the ponies weren't stopping to bow to the princesses or to stare at me, they were running around, trying to sell produce or art or inventions. Many of them carried around saddlebags full of these different items. And I'll admit, it was interesting to see the difference between royalty and commoners. Here, there was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Each were clean and well-groomed, wearing the finest jewelery and clothing. Celestia's strides were smooth and graceful, and she walked with such a proud and noble air around her, barely even swaying side to side. But the villagers? Their coats were covered in filth, and pretty much the only clothing worn were old hats. They moved with little grace or poise. Their hooves slammed against the ground as they trotted, kicking up dirt.

Peasants.

Celestia raised a hoof and stopped me in my tracks. She then pointed to the door of a small café. "This is it." She approached the door, but as her horn lit up to turn the knob, it suddenly swung open, and a creamy white earth pony with an orange mane stood grinning and panting nervously.

"Princess Celestia! Your highness!" She knelt down and bowed to the princess. "It is a great honor and pleasure to have you here once again!" The white alicorn chuckled.

"Good morrow, Mrs. Crumpet."

Mrs. Crumpet stood once again and stepped aside to allow us in. "And I see you brought your sister! Princess Luna..." She bowed once again. "An honor to have you here." Luna giggled. "And..." The cream-colored pony stood back up and froze. Her eyes locked onto me. "And... Um... Who is this? If you don't mind me asking, your grace."

"Not at all, Mrs. Crumpet." Celestia closed the door behind her, then stood aside to introduce me. "This is Discord. He shall be staying with us in the palace." Mrs. Crumpet smiled nervously and nodded.

"He's certainly an... interesting thing, isn't he?" I rolled my eyes. Although, her attempts at being polite were quite amusing.

"Yes, he-" Celestia's stomach growled loudly. She chuckled as her face turned a bright crimson. "Pardon me. We've nothing to eat. May we ask for a t-"

"Table?"

"Yes. For three, please."

"But of course, your highness! You needn't ask!" She galloped to a table that sat near a big window and pulled up three seats. "Please, please, sit! I'll go get the menus!" She ran to the kitchen at the back of the store. "Noddins! Where are the menus, dear?"

The voice of a filly came from the kitchen. "They're by the register, mama!"

"The register? Noddins, they're supposed to go up on this shelf."

"Fizzy was the one who put them away."

"No I didn't!" shouted another voice.

"Girls! Girls! It's alright, just don't do it again."

"Yes, mama." the two voices said together. Mrs. Crumpet walked back out of the kitchen and headed towards the register on the opposite side of the room. "So sorry about that." she said to us.

"'Tis not a problem." Celestia said with a smile. She and I took a seat at the table as she set Luna down on the chair nearest to the window. The earth pony came trotting back over, carrying the menus between her teeth. She set them down on the table and smiled, still shaking nervously in front of the royal alicorns. "Can I start you off with any drinks? Tea? Juice? Coffee, perhaps?"

"If thou has it, may we order a cup of white peach tea?"

"Yes, of course!" She turned to me, slightly less nervous. "And for you?" I hesitated. Really I had no idea what to order. Clearly, she noticed this. "I would recommend some Trottingham Breakfast tea. I always have a cup to start the morning off!" So, I ordered that. Tia ordered a bottle of warm milk for Luna, and we waited patiently for our drinks.

"Who were those fillies we heard in the kitchen?" I asked Tia. She set down her menu and pointed at the kitchen.

"Mrs. Crumpet runs this place with her daughters, Noddins and Fizzy. Her husband Apple Delight usually runs this place with her, too, but he left a couple of months ago to cook food at one of the new villages being built on the other side of Equestria. Baltimare, I think it was." Just then, two young unicorns came out of the kitchen carrying a teapot, cups and a bottle of milk on their backs. I noticed that one of them had a mark on her flank in the shape of a rabbit, and the other one had a mark in the shape of three sundaes. I also realized that everypony in town had marks on their flanks, except for the princesses. They set the drinks down on the table and returned to the kitchen.

Tia levitated the bottle over to Luna, who reached out, grabbed it with her hooves and immediately began gulping down the liquid. "Whoah there, Luna!" Celestia took the bottle once again and gave her sister a stern look. "Not so fast. You don't want to get a tummy-ache." Luna nodded and reached for the bottle once again. With an amused chuckle, Celestia returned it to her, and began to sip her tea.

"What are those marks on ponies' flanks?" I asked. Celestia's eared flicked up. "Everypony has one, and they're all different. But you two don't have them. Why is that?"

"Those marks are called cutie marks. They magically appear whenever a pony finds his or her special talent, usually when they become teenagers, but sometimes they appear earlier or later. I haven't found my special talent, yet. Luna probably won't for a very long time. She's just a baby after-Luna!" The blue filly had spilled more milk than she had actually drank. Celestia picked up one of the napkins on the table and wiped her sister's face. "Look at this mess! We still have errands to run, Luna; we can't take you back to the castle for a bath yet." The filly only laughed.

After the mess was cleaned up, we finally ordered our food. Blueberry scones for Celestia, a strawberry crepe for me, and more napkins for Luna just in case. The food there wasn't nearly as good as the food at the castle, but it would suffice. We ate up, and as the unicorn fillies came to clear our table, Celestia reached for the coin purse in her saddlebag, paid for our meal, and picked Luna back up. And then we left to make our way to Masquerade's store.

Her store was only about two blocks down the street from Mrs. Crumpet's café. On the way, Celestia warned me that Masquerade was a very "eccentric" old family friend. A bit of an understatement, if you ask me.

As soon as we walked through the door, a yellow blur hit Celestia. Had her wings not been spread, Luna would have fallen right off. "Celly, darling! I haven't seen you in so long! Look at you, all grown up and pretty already!" She released the shocked alicorn from her hug and moved her hooves up to Tia's cheeks, squishing her face between them. "It seems like only yesterday you were a little filly! Oh, your mane's all long and your feathers have finally grown in and I bet you can use magic properly now!" The yellow pegasus hugged Celestia's face to her chest, almost making Luna fall once again. "It's stuff like this that really makes you think, huh? We only live once. We all are growing every second. Life is passing us by faster than we think. And we must live each day like it's our last!"

"I've missed you, too, Auntie Mask."

Masquerade pushed Celestia away from her and flew right over to me. This time, Celestia had to send a beam of magic over to Luna to keep her in the air instead of falling. The pegasus clapped her hooves to my face and chuckled. "Tia, Tia, Tia! Never would have thought you were into the exotic type!" Her face turned bright red, as did mine.

"What!? Oh no, he's just a friend, Auntie Mask. That's all!"

"Oh, shush, darling, you needn't hide your secrets from me!" She flapped her wings a single time and took me into the air with her. She flew me to the other side of the store and set me down in front of a mirror. "Let me guess!" she yelled to the princess. "You want a nice suit for your little boy-toy here, hm? Can't blame you. I love a stallion in a nice suit!"

"He's not my 'boy-toy'." Celestia muttered as she walked towards Masquerade and I, levitating a laughing baby Luna alongside her. Masquerade's eyes shot right over to the filly. "Oh my goodness! I had nearly forgotten! You have a new little sister don't you?" She flew over and took Luna right from Celestia's grasp. At least she was careful with her.

"Gosh! What beautiful eyes she has! She looks just like you did when you were born, Celly!" She held Luna up above her, and the two shared in a laugh. "And look at those wings! Once those adult feathers grow in, they're going to be positively _gorgeous_! What's her name?"

"Luna."

"Luna..." she echoed. She gently set Luna on her sister's back, and in the blink of an eye she was by my side again. "Now, as for you... What was your name again?"  
"Discord." I replied simply.

"'Discord'. How fitting. And here I thought draconequi didn't have names. What a strange place the world is. Anywho..." She flew past me, and I was able to catch her cutie mark: three blue and pink masks. Based on that, and the fact that there were countless piles of fabric all over the store, and the fact that we had come here to order a few outfits, I guessed she made costumes for a living. "_Tux_!" she shouted. "Get over here! We have customers!"

"There's no need to shout!" a colt yelled back from another room.

"How else would you have heard me? You almost never listen! Always so caught up in your looks."

Soon, a blue unicorn came trotting into the room, his horn lit up and adjusting the white bow tie around his neck. "I couldn't find my black one. Excuse me if I want to look nice."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways! Celly, Dissy, Lulu! I would like you to meet my assistant, Tux Tails! Tux, for short."

"'Tis a pleasure to meet thou." Celestia said with a smile, raising her hoof.

"The pleasure is all mine, your grace." He took her hoof in his and kissed it. I could feel the slightest bit of jealousy growing in my chest.

"Careful, Tux!" Masquerade warned. "Tia's boyfriend is right there."

"Not my boyfriend!" Tia insisted.

"What she said." I added.

"Fine. But here's a tip: It'll be so much easier someday to rule Equestria with a king at your side. But hey, I don't make your choices. So! Tux, be a dear and go get my measuring tape and sketchbook." Tux nodded and headed off in another direction to go search for the items. "And do hurry! Don't want to keep our guests waiting!"

"I could probably find it sooner if you'd keep it all in one place!" He shoved a box of fabric out of the way of his path. "And if you kept the place clean!"

"Please, I don't have the time to clean and I don't have enough money for maids. Besides, if it bothers you so much why don't you clean it?" Tux mumbled something, but Masquerade merely rolled her eyes and turned back to me. "I've never worked with anything other than a pony before. This may be tough, but nothing old Auntie Mask can't handle!"

"I would actually like to commission you for something other than a suit, Auntie Mask." Celestia said.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Two Gala dresses, for Luna and I." She levitated two sheets of paper out of her saddlebag and showed them to the pegasus. "I'm afraid I'm not the best artist, but here's an idea of what I had in mind." Masquerade took a long look at the drawings. They appeared to just be saddles with a few ribbons and a cape coming down the back.

"This is what you want? You want to wear _these _at the world famous Grand Galloping Gala?"

"Something like those, yes. Simple, traditional..."

"Oh no, darling. I simply cannot allow either of you to wear something like this! So bland and boring. Next thing you're going to tell me is that you wanted a plain old black and white suit for your not-boyfriend, here."

"Actually..."

"Celly! I'm surprised at you! This will not do. I'll make you all something spectacular!"

"But I wear these sorts of dresses every year!"  
"Even more reason to shake things up a bit!"

"She does have a point, Tia." I finally said. "You said it yourself: The Gala's boring."

Masquerade smiled at me, then turned back to Tia. "Celly, my dear, listen to your not-boyfriend." Celestia bit her lip, looked at Luna, then me, then Masquerade.

"...Okay."

"That's the spirit! _Tux_! Measuring tape and sketchbook!" A few more boxes were shoved out of the way until finally the items came floating towards the fashionista. She grabbed the two out of the air and spun me around. "Arms straight out, darling." I did as she said. The measuring tape wrapped around my waist, arms, spread across my chest and shoulders, et cetera. She finally set it all down and wrote a dozen numbers down on her sketchbook. "You're an awfully skinny thing, aren't you? There's no shame in having a few pieces of cake every once in a while, dear." Holding the pencil between her teeth, she scribbled something quickly on her book, and held it up for the princesses and myself to see. "Pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself." She had drawn a simple waistcoat, striped dress shirt and a suit with tails. She hesitated, then brought the sketchbook back down and held it to her chest. "Alright, it probably doesn't look like much in the sketch, but believe me, the colors? Materials? It's going to be fabulous. Now!" She pushed me out of the way of the mirror. Thanks to a quick burst of magic from Tia, I managed not to hit the back of my head on a stack of boxes behind me. "Celly, how about you next?"

Tia handed Luna to me, took off her dress and stepped up to the mirror. The same thing happened: She was measured, Masquerade wrote a bunch of numbers down on her sketchbook, and drew. A minute later, once Tia had slipped back into the casual dress, she held up the book. A striped corset would wrap around her body, then by her hind legs, ruffles. Lots and lots of ruffles. And a few bows, here and there. "You sure about that? I want to liven the Gala up just as much as the next pony, but that just seems a bit obnoxious."

"Shush, darling, it'll look marvelous when I'm done. And once your mane is styled right. Lulu!" She flew over to me and took Luna from my grasp, bringing the amused filly over to the mirror and taking her measurements. The two giggled as the pegasus scribbled in her book. "Oh, you're going to look absolutely darling!" Tia and I glanced at each other. Funny how an older mare like Masquerade got along so well with a foal that was less than a weak old. "Tux, dear, go get all my lace and silk fabrics! I'm going to start on these dresses tonight!" Tux, who had been sitting on the other side of the room brushing through his mane, nodded and began to go through the fabrics once again in search of the laces and silks. Finally, Masquerade held up the design of Luna's dress. It was similar to the pink dress Celestia was wearing, only with a few ribbons streaming down from the shoulders, and a few bows around the edges of the dress. "Simple, but I still say it was much better than your design." A low growl sounded in Tia's throat.

"Don't be such a grump!" Masquerade flew over to Tux to help in finding the proper materials. "These outfits will be perfect! I'll only need the time to make them."

"Very well." Celestia sighed. "How much will they cost?"

"Nothing, my dear!" Masquerade shot past us, carrying rolls of velvet in her hooves. "One doesn't just charge her friend's children and her friend's children's not-boyfriends!" She disappeared into the other room. We all turned to Tux, who merely shrugged, then continued his search. Celestia shouted to the mare in the other room a quick "Thank you!"

"Not a problem, darling! Oh, and one more thing!" Masquerade darted back into the room. "Putting up this whole 'I'm perfectly fine and dandy' act really isn't healthy. It's alright to be sad, you know." Celestia tilted her head in confusion. "Now run along! I've work to do!" She shooed us out of the store, and locked the door behind us.

I turned to the princess and asked, "Why did we come to this particular store again?"

"Because I knew it wouldn't be as expensive as some others."

"Ah."

**Author's Note: The lullaby Celestia sung in this chapter is the English translation of "A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal" or "Noble Maiden Fair" from the Disney Pixar film "Brave". It's an absolutely beautiful song and movie and you should probably check both of them out ASAP, if you haven't yet. Also, I would like to apologize for the terrible pacing of this story. I have no self control when it comes to writing.**


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